 though there are a number of nonhumans that populate the flanaess the majority is made up by far of humans there are five major races of humanity though most of these subraces have mixed over time though unmixed human races exist in several enclaves for the most part the suel flan oeridians and baklunish have mixed to form a variety of blended types race is given little importance by most intelligent folk particularly in the central lands though some royal families promote particular racial types each race appears to have developed ages ago in isolation from all others with its own pantheon of deities language and culture in practical matters of exploration trade adventure and war however color and race have little meaning baklunish baklunish baklunish the baklunish have golden-toned skin and straight fine-textured hair that is universally dark ranging from dusky brown to bluish black their eyes are usually green or gray-green; hazel and gray eyes are rare they tend to be long of limb and facial feature with high cheekbones the baklunish once held a great empire on the western side of the crystalmists and barrier peaks the invoked devastation ruined their empire for which the baklunish retaliated with the rain of colorless fire burning the suel imperium to ash most surviving baklunish moves north or west to the borders of the old empire and beyond the inhabitants of ekbir zeif ull and the tiger nomads typify the straight baklunish strain while the tusmits and the paynims show mixed ancestry the wolf nomads are often darker from intermarriage with the rovers of the barrens the ket ketites are the least typical baklunish having pale yellow golden-brown or tan complexions as a result of suloise and oeridian ancestry the baklunish unlike the suloise retained much of their culture after the fall of their empire honor family generosity and piety are fundamental virtues use of their classical language ancient baklunish in religious observances higher learning and the fine arts has preserved their ancestral traditions the baklunish have many customs and taboos derived from their great knowledge of astrology and their dependence on horses adds many beliefs and traditions regarding their honored steeds particularly among the nomads singing and dancing are widespread in their culture and trade and exploration are major pursuits settled baklunish favor bright patterns and gaudy colors in clothes typically with gowns and robes or else long coats with a long one-piece garment supplemented with other garb nomadic baklunish prefer clothes with several pastel colors enjoying fancy garments enhanced with puffs slashes on sleeves to show contrasting colors underneat and superfluous trim when traveling or making war the nomads instead wear rough items of leather hide or cloth bearing shields or banners indicating clan allegiance many skilled wizards are baklunish including experts in elemental magic divination and summoning and binding spells used on extraplanar beings cooperative spellcasting is practiced by many of the clergy particularly among the desert mystics flan flan flan pure flan have bronze skin varying from a light copper hue to a dark deep brown flan eyes are usually dark brown black brown or amber hair is wavy or curly and typically black or brown or any shade in between the flan have broad strong faces and sturdy builds the flan were the first known humans to live in eastern oerik and it is from them that the flanaess gets its name although evidence exists that they had once settled nations the oft-rumored ur-flan those vanished long ago the flan had been a nomadic people for many centuries when they were displaced by suloise and oeridian invaders large pockets of flan live in what are now geoff tenh and the barrens the tenh tenha are pure flan and the coppery rovers of the barrens nearly so the people of geoff and sterich also show strong flan heritage as do the stonehold stoneholders theocracy of the pale palish and certain perrenland perrenlander clans the flan have always been strongly tied to the natural world as they were nomadic hunter-gatherers for so long they see nature as an entity to be respected but not controlled and this is reflected in their myths legends and culture many flan believe the season of a child child's birth affects later life and certain customs and taboos must be observed annually modern flan still have a preference for the outdoors and those who live in cities usually raise gardens and flower beds a tree is planted at the door of a flan home and the health of that tree is believed related to the welfare of the family storytelling is a favorite pastime ans most families have ancient oral folklore and legends to pass on the ancient nomadic flan wore simple clothing of animal skins belts breechcloths capes ropes and footwear boots and hard-soled slippers body painting and tattoos were common methods of personal decoration and these traditions are still practiced by the rovers of the barrens who prefer yellows and reds modern flan tend to dress in what is currently fashionable but they favor bright primary colors in solid arrangements flan wizards normally work in harmony with nature avoiding destructive magic a few delve into the necromantic arts of the ancient ur-flan but such practices are shunned by respectable folk many prefer protective and divinatory spells a practice that stems from their traditional roles of guarding nomadic tribes and helping them survive flan clerics are often durids who are more accepting of agriculture than they once were like the sun god pelor many flan deities have strong natural aspects oeridians oeridians oeridians oeridian skin tones range from tan to olive; brown and auburn hair are common though some individuals have hair as light as honey or as dark as coal likewise eye coloration is highly variable; brown and grey are seen most often oeridians tend to have square or oval faces and strong jaw lines after inhabiting what is now ull for generations barbaric oeridians were driven east by orc orcs and goblin goblins and emplyed as mercenaries by the baklunish and suel the migrating oeridians were able fighters and battled their way across the flanaess driving the suel before them and allying with the flan elf elves dwarf dwarves and other peoples nearly pure oeridians are seen in perrenland furyondy aerdy sunndi and onnwal the most powerful empire in the flanaess was created by a conquering tribe of oeridians the aerdi who subjugated and assimilated all who opposed them ancient oeridians were fierce warriors yet they were also self-sacrificing and loyal these traits are not as evident today but many oeridians do remain temperamental and prone to violence they have a preference for strict social order usually fitting themselves at the top and their military traditions are strong aggression is often channeled into political comflict and subterfuge the oeridian skill at warfare is unsurpassed and many folk have a hard0learned respect for it in peacetime they are practical hard working and not inclined to intellectual pursuits oeridian dress normally consists of a short tunic and close-fitting trousers with a cape or cloak tailored for ease of movement aerdi and nyrond nyrondal oeridians favor plaids and checks with ovals or diamonds in the south and west colors and patterns once showed clan allegiance but this practice is fading in favor of personal color preference following their warlike tendencies magic-using oeridians focus on battle-oriented spells as well as the enchantment of magic items useful in combat spellcasters have a hard-nosed practical attitude and they are generally hawkish and outgoing many strive to be leaders or masters magic is often used for pragmatic purposes too such as construction irrigation and iron-forging rhennee rhennee rhennee the complexion of rhenn-folk ranges from olive to tan; their hair is usually curly and tends to be black or dark brown most have eyes of grey blue or hazel but green is known in some families the rhennee are generally short but strong and wiry with men averaging 5'6 and women less the rhennee claim they are not native to the flanaess ; rather they say they are accidental travelers from another realm citizens of a lost homeland they call rhop their legends say they appeared first in the great kingdom in or near the adri forest pursued by monsters and hostle aerdi the fled west to the shores of the lake of unknown depths where they took to life on the water they now expertly ply the great rivers that cross the flanaess and migrate between the three great lakes rhennee are faily common on the waterways of the central flanaess and near inland shores and banks a few secret inland encampments are said to exist and here may also be encountered their rare land-dwelling cousins whom they derogatively refer to as the attloi the mutual distrust and antagonism between the rhenn-folk and other peoples of the flanaess have kept the rhennee relatively unmixed with other races though the rhennee are said to bring children of other races into their families little is known of the original culture of the rhennee as they were absent from the flanaess before 425 years ago and entered their current lifestyle to escape persecution the rhenn-folk are masters of inland sailing and navigation and they love their nomadic and adventurous life music and gambling are beloved amusements certain rhennee say they are nobles and have great authority among their kind men nearly always become warriors; some women become sorcerors wise women whose skills and knowledge make them the subtle masters of rhennee society rhennee do have a wide reputation as thieves and most do learn roguish skills as children practicing them primarily upon outsiders their secrecy and bad reputation cause most people to dislike the rhennee and the feeling is mutual they survive by ferrying goods and passengers fishing hunting selling their crafts and illegal means theft and smuggling although they put forth the least amount of work needed to accomplish their goals they follow a code of conduct that has different restrictions for dealing with others of their kind versus non-rhennee outsiders who may be lied to and cheated these people dress in muted colors and each adult male has a set of homemade leather armor of good quality the cut and style of their clothing is simple and functional eschewing the fashion-minded concerns of other races their leatherwork is exceptional of the rhennee only the female students of wise women become spellcasters clerics are unknown among them wise women prefer charms and illusions practicing divination as well they like spells that decieve or confuse people especially enchantments like love potions or very minor protective charms that can be sold to the foolish unwary or greedy suloise suloise suloise the suel have the lightest coloration of any known human race in the flanaess their skin is fair with an atypical proportion of albinos eye color is pale blue or violet sometimes deep blue or grey suel hair is wiry often curly or kinky with fair colors such as yellow light red blond and platinum blond the suel tend to be lean with narrow facial features the suel imperium was located in what is now the sea of dust wicked and decadent this empire was destroyed during a war with the baklunish when the latter brought down the rain of colorless fire suloise survivors fled in all directions many crossing the hellfurnaces into the flanaess where they met other suel who had fled the long war much earlier some evil suel were forced into the extreme corners of the flanaess by invading oeridians the barbarians of the thillonrian peninsula are among the few remaining pure suel though the people of the duchy of urnst and places in the lordship of the isles are nearly so the suel imperium was governed by contesting noble houses and the fleeing bands that entered the flanaess were often led by nobles with their families and many retainers the modern suel retain this affinity for family although they use a very narrow definition of the word to only include siblings parents and children a few suel can trace their lineage all the way back to the days of their empire the ancient suel imperium was exceddingly cruel fortunately most suel have avoided this dark legacy having inherited the relatively minor flaws of being opinionated selfish and blunt many also tend to be prideful and unwilling to admit flaws or personal hardships they have a passion for study especially in regard to magic and many suel wizards become incredibly powerful traditional suel dress includes wide-legged pantaloons and loose blouses vests in the south both in solid colors most individuals use one color only with nobles using two or more as appropriate to their house the style of clothing is adapted to the climate; suel in the far north wear furs or thick wool with capes mittens and furred boots the suel like large pins brooches emblems and other adornments a few of which are ancient heirlooms heirs of a highly magical society the suel still have an aptitude for most types of spellcasting suel wizards often become masters of spells that involve transmutation they also perfected a number of binding spells and created many items used for controling and dominating other beings for instance it is thought that a long-dead suel emperor made the ancient and terrible   orb of dragonkind orbs of dragonkind   